Automatic sucker-rod elevator



W. W. H. BURNETTE.

AUTOMATIC SUCKER ROD ELEVATOR.

7 APPLICATION FILED AUG.17, I920.

1,427, 75, Pqtentd Aug. 29,1922.

1a go INVENTOR.

wwuaum fla T ORNEYS snares stares earsar OFFICE.

WAL'TER W. H. BURNETTE, 0F FILLMORE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT F. FITZ, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC SUGKER-ROZD ELEVATOR.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, WVALTER W. H. BUR- NETTE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fillmore in. the county of Ventura and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sucker-Rod Elevators, of which the following is a specification. This invention is a sucker rod elevator and has for its object the provision of improved automatically actuated retaining means for holding a sucker ro'd engaged b the elevator within the latter. I

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved manually controlled means for locking the sucker rod retaining mechanism inoperative position.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View, with the casing partly broken away, of a sucker rod elevator constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the same taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

The sucker rod elevator consists of a disc 1 having the radial slot 2 through which the sucker rod 3 is received in order to position the latter at the central bore 4 of the elevator disc. The disc is provided with bearing lugs 5 which support a yoke 6 extending upwardly over the elevator disc and having the cable 7 received through an eye 8 in said yoke.

A plate 9 is arranged in spaced relation above disc 1 and is adapted to form guideways for axially movable jaws 10 disposed at opposite sides of the bore 1. The jaws are provided with engaging surfaces 11 adapted to be contacted by the coupling head 12 of the sucker rod when the ele vator is lifted relative to the sucker rod. By this arrangement when the elevator is lifted the jaws 10 will be moved downwardly toward disc 1 and said downward movement of the jaws is adapted to actuate rods 13 slidably supported upon disc 1. These rods are shown as, provided with intermediate oif-set portions 14: and with slotted outer ends as shown at 15. Screws 16are re ceived through the slots 15 and threaded v Specification of Letters Latent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

into disc 1 for guiding the longitudinal movement of the rods. The actuating connection between jaws 10 and rods 13, pref- 1 erably, consists of co-operating tapered engaglng ends 17 and 18 provided upon the aws and rods respectively.

The jaws 10 are normally held in raised posltion relative to disc 1 by means of springs 20 received in recesses 21 provided in disc 1 and extending upwardly through slots 22 in the tapered ends of rods 13 into recesses 23 provided in the tapered ends of the jaws.

Thelongitudinal movement of rods 13 is arranged to actuate links 25 which are pivoted to disc 1 by the pivot pins 26. The ends of links 25 are slotted as shown at 27 and the slots at one end of the links are engaged by pins 28 projecting from rods 13. The slots at the other end of the links are engaged by pins 29 projecting from rods 30 extending across disc 1 in longitudinal alinement. The adjacent ends of said rods are oppositely off-set as shownat 31 so that when said rods are moved toward one another the co-operating off-set ends thereof will interlock across the slot 2 in order to prevent the removal of the sucker rod from bore 4. Longitudinal movement of the rods 30 is, preferably, guided by positioning said rods within guide recess 33 provided in disc 1.

The rods are normally held out of engagement, so as to form no obstruction to slot 2, as by springs 32 connected to said rods and to the disc 1 at their respective ends. A sucker rod may then be readily inserted through slot 2 so as to be received within bore 1 with its coupling head 12 resting against the engaging surfaces 11 of jaw 10. When the elevator is lifted jaws 10 will be depressed against the tension of springs 20 and will move rods 13 outwardly. As a consequence links 25 will be turned upon their pivots and the rods 30 moved toward one another so as to interlock across slot 2 and thereby prevent withdrawal of the sucker rod from the elevator.

Means are, preferably provided for looking the interlocked rods 30 in position for retaining a sucker rod within the elevator. For this purpose pins 35 are arranged for longitudinal movement through bearings 36 upon disc 1 so that the pins may engage recesses are so positioned as to be engaged by pins 35 when the retaining means are in operative position. The pins 35 are, preferably, moved into operative or inoperative position by means of controlling pins 38 and 39. The pin 39 may be arranged for moving pins 35 to inoperative position for which purpose it is shown as provided with openings 40 engaging slotted ends 41 of bell crank levers 42; pivoted at 43. The opposite ends of the bell crank levers carry pins 44' received inslots 45' of the locking pins 35.

Byreference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that when pin 39 is depressed the locking pins 35 will be moved out of locking engagement with the recesses of jaws 10. The pin 38 is arranged to move the locking pins into operative position. For thispurpose it may be provided with pins 47 engaging slotted ends 4E8 of a bell crank lever 49 pivoted at 50 and having opposite ends 51 provided with pins 52 arranged to be received in slots- 53 of the locking pins 35. The parts are so arranged that depression at pin 38 will cause the looking pins to be moved into operati ve engagement with the recesses of jaws 10.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as clamed.

What is claimed is: p

' 1., 'An elevator comprising a plate having a bore and a radial slot extending from said bore, axially movable jaws adapted to be engaged by a rod withinsa'id bore, and locksaid sucker rod in said member actuated by the movement of said jaws, and actuating means for respectively locking and releasing said jaws when in said moved position.

4:. An elevator comprising a disc having a central bore and a radial slot leading from the bore, a plate rigidly mounted in spaced relation to the disc and having a central opening and slot corresponding to the opening and slot in the disc, the central opening being adapted to form guideways, axially movable jaws in the guideways at opposite sides of the central opening, rods slidably supported upon the disc and adapted to be actuated by the downward movement of the jaws, springs normally holding the jaws elevated, links pivoted to the disc and adapted to be moved by the rods, and means connected to the rods for retaining a sucker rod.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

W. W. H. BURNETTE. 

